American Guerrilla in the Philippines (1950)

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

This is a seldom referenced and very overlooked old movie, but Fritz Lang still shows what an amazing filmmaker he is here. The script is good (not great) but the direction and some surprisingly good acting turn this one into a real winner. Definitely worth watching.

If anyone thinks they've seen this film before, An American Guerrilla in the Philippines bears no small resemblance to the John Wayne film Back to Bataan. But what a difference in terms of production.Back to Bataan was done on the RKO back-lot with their official jungle set used for films going back to King Kong and The Most Dangerous Game. An American Guerrilla in the Philippines was shot entirely on location in the Phillipines and the cinematography is beautiful.I'm not sure that Tyrone Power's military service brought him to the Philippines, but he did serve in the Marines in the Pacific Theater in several campaigns against many islands. It certainly lent a lot of credibility to his performance.Unlike John Wayne who is ordered into the hills to begin organizing resistance, Power is a navy ensign who's just trying to escape the Philippines after Bataan has fallen and to avoid the brutal Japanese prison camps. Along the way Power decides along with Tom Ewell and others in his motley group to join the resistance.And unlike John Wayne, Power gets an opportunity for a little romance with a plantation widow, Michelline Presle. Power does a good job here. The film is not a dark and moody Fritz Lang type product, but Lang does all right with a project that he obviously took for a pay check. I will say this though the ending is a bit too much to swallow as Douglas MacArthur does indeed return, and in the nick of time as well.

I caught this movie on the Fox Movie Channel last week. A shame that the DVD is not available as this one would be a keeper. If you like WWII era movies this one is a good one. It documents insurgency activity against the Japanese during the war. A rag-tag group of people including some Americans separated from the rest of their detachment lead locals in a courageous and sometimes complex scheme to keep the enemy unaware of their activities.This was an easy movie to get into and one I would add to my collection if available. It is in color as well and features some spectacular shots.

Not one to see a lot of war films, I have to say I enjoyed "American Guerilla in the Philippines," starring Tyrone Power and directed by Fritz Lang. Power plays a real-life navy man, Chuck Parsons, who helped organize guerrilla forces in the Philippines after MacArthur promised to return. There are some exciting and tense scenes, and also, the film is a tribute to the courage of the Filipinos. There are obvious non-actors in small roles, which is a little distracting, but I suppose this was done for the sake of realism. Power is rugged and handsome as Parsons, and Tom Ewell gives an excellent performance as a wisecracking soldier. Micheline Presle is the de rigeur love interest - it's Tyrone Power who's starring, after all, and their love scenes are great, as are their scenes where she subtly fights her attraction to him. Of course, I'd have caved right in.Power did not get to meet the real Chuck Parsons until a few months after filming, when Parsons appeared, unannounced, in Power's dressing room when the actor was performing "Mr. Roberts" in London. One must assume Parsons was pleased to have been portrayed by a matinée idol.Fritz Lang did a wonderful job of directing, but of course, this film is a far cry from Metropolis. It was a hard shoot for Power, as his wife, Linda Christian, miscarried while visiting him on location. Despite other reviews on this page, Amrican Guerrilla is very watchable. You have to take it for what it is - propaganda to get the U.S. ready for the Korean war.